Work begins on dam repairs

The state’s Department of Environmental Services has signed off on the work, and the town is filing a reconstruction permit accompanied by a $3,000 fee, according to Public Works Director Mike Fowler.

Damage to the dam includes a hole under the dam as well as a 5- to 6-foot wide breach to one side of the dam’s sluiceway.

“We have been in contact with a professional engineer with expertise in dam repair, and they have completed a preliminary design,” said Fowler.

Through the end of this week and next week, American Excavating will be repairing the dam.

“We will be proceeding as quickly as possible and hope we can stitch this up in the next week or so,” said Fowler.

Scheduled work includes placing a second pump, removing the headwalls, and excavating for a new concrete pad on the upstream side of the dam.

“We’ll also be building a 12-inch wall on the front face of the dam to tie into that,” said Fowler. “We’ll be reinforcing the steel, and the ultimate fix for the hole under the dam will be a chemical grouting process to fill the voids by a concrete-type of material.”

Contractors will also be putting a new pipe inside the sluiceway and strengthening the abutments on the north and south sides of the dam where the concrete wall ends.

Fowler said he expects the majority of the work to be completed by the end of next week.